Retractable staple extractor



April 20, 1954 K. M. VOGEL 2,675,989

RETRACTABLE STAPLE EXTRACTOR Filed May 51, 1951 I 2 Sheets-Sheet l 25% 0 23 7 Isnventr 'K VEI BEL u April 20, 1954 VOGEL 2,675,989

RETRACTABLE STAPLE EXTRACTOR Filed May 31, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 KURT VDEEL. 81; W,

Gttomeg Patented Apr. 20, 1954 RETRACTABLE STAPLE nxTRAoToR.

Kurt M. Vogel, Fairfield, Conn.,'assignor to Neva- Clog" Products, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application May 31, 1951, Serial No. 229,250

(01. zsi-zs) '8 Claims.

The present invention relates to a combined stapling device and staple extractor, and has for an object to provide a device of this character in which a staple removing element is incorporated in a stapling device in such manner that, when not in use, it will occupy a substantially concealed position within the device, so as not to interfere with the normal stapling operation thereof, and, when in its operative staple extracting position, will be projected forwardly from the stapling device in such relation that the grip handle of the latter forms a manipulating handle therefor.

The invention is especially adapted for incorporation in a stapling device of the plier type having handle means comprising a fixed upper grip handle and a pivoted lower grip handle adapted to be gripped by the hand and compressed to affect the stapling operation, the handle means of such plier type stapling device also providing'an operating handle means for the extracting element disposed in the most effective position for engaging and extracting staples. In particular the extracting element projected from the front of the stapling plier is adapted to be engaged beneath the bridge of the staple by a straight forward sliding movement, the continued forward sliding movement unclinching and extracting the staple, and the disposition of the grip handle directly behind the extracting element enabling the device to be gripped in a natural mannerand pushed forwardly with a positive straight movement to extract the staples.

' The staple extracting operation is best carried out by engaging the extracting element in flat relation against and parallel to the surface of the material containing the staple while such material is supported upon a flat surface or the palm of the hand, and, to enable this operation to be effectually carried out, it is proposed to provide the staple extracting element in such angular relation to the base of the stapling device that sufficient clearance for the fingers gripped about the handle means will be provided between the lower side of the lower handle and the supporting surface, while the extracting element is disposed in flat parallel relation with such surface. The arrangement also prevents damage to the stapled material such as might occur if the extracting element were held at an angle thereto.

With the above and other objects in View, embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, and these embodiments will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: H

a Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device according to one illustrated exemplary embodiment of the invention, and showing the same in the operation of extracting a staple.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partially in vertical section, showing the extracting element in its retracted position within the stapling plier, a closure slip cover being also shown in place.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the closure slip cover for use with the device.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken along the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is 'a bottom plan 'view of the device as seen in Fig. 2, the sli'pcover being removed.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation, partially in vertical section, showingthe extractor element in its projected operative position.

Fig. '7 is a horizontal sectional top plan view, taken along the line T'1'of Fig. 6'. V

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation, partially in vertical section, of a modified form of the invention, the extractor element being .shown in its inoperative retracted position.

Fig. 9 is a similar" view showing the extractor element in its operative projected position.

Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view, with the ex-' tractor element in the projected position as seen in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary side elevation of an other modified'form of the invention, the extractor element being shown in its retracted position.

'Fig'. 12is a fragmentary side elevation, partially in vertical section, showing the'extractor element in its projected position.

Fig. 13 15a horizontal sectional top plan view, taken along the line I 3-l3 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is'a transverse vertical sectional view, taken along the line I l-l4 of Fig. 11.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the" drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 7 thereof, the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the invention shown therein is incorporated in a stapling device of the plier type, although it will be understood that it may be incorporated in stapling devices of the desk or other types if desired. The particular stapling plier illustrated is of the type as disclosed in the patent to Edward C. Johnson for Stapling Plier No. 2, 157,987, granted May 9, 1939, and comprises a housing In having an upper grip handle ll formed integrally therewith, the lower portions of the side walls'of the housing having slots |2I2 constituting the material receiving mouth and the jaw portions |3|3 of the side walls below these slots constituting supports for the staple clinching anvil means of the plier, as will presently more fully appear. The staple carrying guide. or magazine I4. carrying the staple driving head. |5 at itsforward end is pivotally mounted upon a pin l6 supported at its ends in the side walls of the housing, the staple driving head having a staple driver I"! carried therein for vertical staple driving-movement;

The staple driving lever 3 comprises. a lower grip handle I9 and side wall,portions2fl20extending upwardly therefrom between the side walls of the housing l0 and the side walls of the staple magazine l4, these side. portions being bent inwardly above the staple magazine and then extended upwardly. and forwardly in contacting welded-together relation to form a forwardly projecting lever arm 2| engaged at its forward end with thestaple driver ll. The lever arm" 2| is pivotally mounted-upon apivot pin 22, supported at its ends in the sidewalls of the housing l0, and thesidewall portions 2|! are provided-with slots 23'-23- arranged concentrically to the axis of the pin-22 and engaged by the pin [6. A' spring 2|coiled'intermediate its ends has one end 25 extended forwardly and secured in the lower jaw of the housing It and its other-end 26 engaged with the inner surface of the lower grip handle l9; its" coil portion being positioned rearwardly of the pin l6 andpressingupwardly on the undersurface' of the staplingmagazine l5, this spring thus exerting pressure to press the grip handle l9 to open position and'lever arm 2| and' the staple driver" lT'to" raised position. It also exerts upward: pressure upon the staple magazine M rearwardly of: the: pivot pin |6' to press the staple driving head |5 downwardly so that'it follows'the downward movement of the lever arm 2 I.

In the operation of" this type of'stapling plier the lower handle lsisgrippcd and pressed up wardly towardirthe' upper handle II, the initial downwardmovement of the lever arm 2| causing the staple driving head l5v and guide W to swing downwardlytoward' the anvil to grip. the material to be stapled. The continued. move= ment of thearm 2| then forces the staple driver I? downwardly in the staple driving; passage within the head and'drives the foremost staple of the staple strip 21, disposed in the staple magazine.

Between the lower jawportions |3 -|3- of the housingmember achannelmember 28 ofinverted U-shapedcross-section is rigidly secured by weld: ingorother suitable meansandlprovides ananvil support for the material'to bestapled, beingiprovided for thispurpose near its forward, endfand in line with the staple driver IT with staple clinching grooves 29-2'9'. The channelmember also providesa pocket at the underside of the lower jaw portion of the liousingjmember B withinwhich the stapleextractor elementofthe invention is mounted;

The staple extractor 30 comprises: a flat blade portion 3| provided along: its side edges with wedging flanges 32"-32 of, graduallyincreasing height and starting slightly back from the thin entering tip portion of theblade. The wedging flanges are provided with outwardly ofiset mounting extensions 33'33" pivotally mounted upon pivot studs 34 -34. secured to the side walls of the channel member 28'. The blade portion is provided at its rearward end with an upwardly offset extension portion 35 extending beyond the pivotal axis of the pivot studs 34 and provided with a curled finger-engaging portion 3%, preferably having a knurled surface. In the retracted inoperative position of the staple extractor, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the blade portion is disposed within the pocket of the channel member with its tip end resting within a recess El formed in the forward end of the lower side of the lower grip handle I9, being yieldably retained in this position byv engagement of the forwardly extending end 25 of the spring 2t with the fingerengaging portion. 35. This spring extends through. anapertured lug 25a formed at the inner end of the channel member 23 into a slot 33 provided inthe transverse portion of the channel member, this slot providing a clearance space for movement of the finger-engaging portion 36 as the blade end of the staple extractor is swung to its projected operative position as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. In the projected position the spring end 25" engages the finger-engaging portionat the other side of the pivot axis from its engagement therewith in the retracted position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and thus yieldably retains the staple extractor in projected position. In the operation of projecting the staple extractor the tip end of the bladeportion is first disengaged from the recess 31' by pressing upwardly upon the finger-engaging portion 35, whereupon the blade portion'may be conveniently pressed toits projected position.

The angle of the blade-portion 3! with respect to' the lower surface-of. the housing member is such thatwhen the-blade portion isengaged with aiflat surface, asshown in Fig. l, the lower grip handle l9 will besufiiciently spaced from the flat'surface to provide clearance for the fingers of. the hand gripped about the grip handle. In the operation of extracting thestaple the blade may; thus be effectually moved forwardly to engage its tip portion beneath the bridgeof the staple, continued forward ;movement causing the wedging flanges 32' to bend the clinched staple legs; outwardly into unclinched position, at the same timelraising the; bridge portion upwardly tti' extract the staplethrough the perforations in the stapledmaterial; the extracted staple being then disposed upon the high ends of the wedge flanges. Whereseveralstaples are successively extractedtheywillcollect upon the wedge flanges from which they may be readilyremoved when desired.

For the purpose of enclosing the pocket containing the retracted'staple extractor, a slip cover 39, as shown in Fig. 3, may be engaged over the same, being, provided with inwardly turned guide flanges 40-40 which. slideably engage grooves 4|4| provided in the lower jaw portions l3 of the housingv member Ill in spaced parallel relation below the slots i2. This slip cover is of wedge shape to fit the shapeof the lower jaw of the plier andwill befrictionally wedged in place as it is forced inwardly into its enclosing position. It is disengaged simply by pressing forwardly.

In Figs. 8.- to. 10. I have illustrated a modified form of the invention in which the'staple extractor ismounted for sliding movement between its retracted and projected positions. For this purpose the side walls of the channel member 28a are provided with longitudinal slots d2 i2 disposedparallel to the lower edges of said side walls,..ea=ch.slot having a rearward detent notch 43' forwardly spaced from its rearward end and a forward detent notch 44- rearwardly spaced from its forward end. The staple extractor 45 comprises a flat blade portion 46 and wedging side wall portions 41-41, substantially similar to the staple extractor 30 of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 7, the blade portion having a rearward extension portion 48 disposed at an angle thereto. This angle is such thatin the projected position, as shown in Fig. 9, the portion 48 is parallel to the underside of the lower jaw of the stapling plier and the blade portion is'at an upwardly inclined angle thereto. The wedging side portions 41 are provided with rearwardly extending mounting portions 4949 having outwardly projecting pivot studs 50-50 slideably engaged in the slots 42, and also having in rearwardly spaced relation to the studs a transverse pin 5| extending between the'side walls and having its ends projecting as pivot studs into sliding engagement with the slots 42. The undersurface of the portion 48 is preferably knurled, as shown in Fig. 10, for the purpose of facilitating the projection and retraction of the staple extractor by engagement of a finger therewith.

In the retracted position, as shown in Fig. 8, the stud ends of the pin 5| are in engagement with the rearward ends of the slots 42 and the pivot studs 50 are engaged with the detent notches 43, the spring end pressing against the blade portion 46 to yieldablyretain the studs in engagement with the notches. In order to project the staple extractor a finger is engaged with the knurled surface of the portion 48 and pressed inwardly to disengage the studs 50 from the detent notches 43, whereupon the projector may be pushed forwardly to its projected position. In this position the studs 50 engage the forward ends of the slots 42, the spring end 25 at the same time engaging the upper side of the pin 5| and pressing its projecting end portions into the detent notches 44. The blade portion is thus tilted upwardly at an angle to the underside of the stapling plier and locked in place against rearward pressure exerted thereon. In order to retract the staple extractor the portion 48 is pressed inwardly to disengage the ends of the pin 5| from the detent notches 44, the staple extractor being thereupon pushed to its retracted position, as shown in Fig. 8. When in retracted position the extractor may be enclosed if desired, by a slip cover 39, the lower jaw portions 13 being provided with grooves 4l--4l for this purpose.

In Figs. 11 to 14 I have illustrated another modified form of the invention in which the stable extractor is pivotally mounted for movement about a substantially vertical pivot axis between its retracted and projected positions. The staple extractor 52 comprises a blade portion 53 and wedging side walls 54, the blade portion being provided with an upwardly offset extension 55 disposed at an angle to the blade portion corresponding to the angular relation of the blade portion to the underside of the staple plier in the projected position as shown in Fig. 12. The extension portion 55 is pivotally mounted by means of a pivot stud 56 upon a supporting platform portion 51 extending from one side wall of the channel member 28b, this side wall and the adjacent side of the lower jaw portion l3 also being provided with a finger-engaging notch 58 for facilitating the movement of the staple extractor from its retracted position. The other side wall and the adjacent side of the lower jaw portion I3 is provided with a clearance cut-out 58 through which the staple extractor swings in moving be tween its retracted and projected positions. The staple extractor is retained in its retracted and projected positions-by means of a toggle spring 60 connected between a pin 6| provided at one side of the pivot stud 56 and a pin 62 secured to the underside of the transverse portion of the channel member 28b. In the retracted position the spring draws one side of the portion 55 against the side wall of the channel member to yieldably retain the staple extractor in retracted position. As the retracted staple extractor is moved from its retracted to its projected position the spring moves over the center of the pivot stud 56 and thereupon exerts pressure to draw the other side of the portion 55 against the side wall of the channel member. When in retracted position the extractor member may be enclosed, if desired, by a slip cover 39, the lower jaw portions. [3 being provided with grooves 4 l-4l for this purpose.

While the staple extractor is shown in the several embodiments as provided in the lower side of the stapling plier, it will be understood that it may, if desired, be provided at the upper side of 10 housing portion H1, in which case suitable pocket means willbe provided in the housing for this purpose.

I have illustrated and described preferred and satisfactory embodiments of the invention, but it will be understood that changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in'the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A staple extractor for removing from stapled material clinched staples having a bridge and clinched legs, comprising a body member having a lower side, a front end and a hand grip extending upwardly from said lower side and rearwardly from said front end for manually propelling said front end forwardly with said lower side transversely parallel with the upper side of stapled material from which a staple is to be removed, said lower side having a longitudinally extending pocket, an elongated blade member, means movably mounting said blade member within said pocket entirely above said lower side for movement between a retracted position rearwardly of said front end and a longitudinally projected position forwardly of said front end, the lower surface presented by said blade when in said projected position being in a fiat plane and free of any downward projections and the lower surface of said lower side of said body member being free of any downward projections relative to the plane of said lower surface of said blade when the latter is in said projected position, said blade member having a thin entering tip for entering engagement beneath the staple bridge as said blade is longitudinally propelled forwardly, a lower longitudinally extending flat side for engagement with the stapled material in transversely and longitudinally parallel relation therewith, and an upper longitudinally extending wedging side having wedging surfaces along its longitudinal edges diverging rearwardly from said entering tip with respect to the longitudinal edges of said lower side whereby the clinched staple legs are bent outwardly into unclinched position and withdrawn from the material as said blade is further longitudinally propelled forwardly.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 further characterized by spring means yieldably retaining said blade member in its respective retracted and projected positions.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 further 7 characterized in; that saidbody; member: has; a longitudinally straight; lower. side. adjacent; its: forward end; and said-blade member. in .itssnmr jectedz position. has; its. lower longitudinally ex tending side disposed. with its; rearward end a jacent..to andsubstantially; flush with-.the; forward ..end,- of .said. straight; lower side. 0.1: saidibody member, and. wherein said blade memben-isidis-r posed at an. upward-inclination to the. nlanesof said; straight. lowerside of; said bodymember: whereby: whensaid flatlowen side of. said; blade. is. engaged: in. parallel relation. with .stapled material said; lower side. of: said. body member ism-111p..-

blade. member: on. saidv body member for longitudinal movement: between. retracted. and. pro: jected. positions.

6-. The invention as definedinclaiml further characterized. bylongitudinal. slot means. in.-. said body member slidably mounting saidblademembex'; fon longitudinal. movement. between retracted and. projected; positions, said blade. member having stud; means engagedin said slot means, and

said; slot meanshavingdetent notch means. en.- gageable by said studmeans; in. said. projected.

positions to: tilt; said-temple: xtraction pwardly- 7. The inyen na v defin d in; cla m .1. further characterize lay-longitudinal slot; means .in said body member. lidablmmo nting said blade member. for longitudinal moyement between-retracted and? projected; positions; ,said: ad m mberhavme; a painofjoneitudinal. spaced studmeans en.- gagedzinf. said. lohm an andaid sl m n having; Bit/pair of; detent notchmeans engageable by said. I:e.sD ectii/B studimeansin said retracted andiprojeeted: positions to; respectively tilt; staple extractor; downwardly andrupwardlm.

8. Theiinvention;as;.d,efined.in; claim 1 further characterized by. substantially vertical pivot means-mov-ably. mountingsaid blade member on said body member for-movement about. a substantially:,.ver.tical axis. between retracted; and p jected positions;

References-Cited in the file of this. patent.

UNITED- STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 4701777 Billings Mar. 15, 1892 2,360,165, Schrade Oct. 10', 1944 2,375,942 Palmer May 15, 1945 2,499,432 Von Cseh Mar. 7; 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country-- Date 7 435,488 France Dec; 27, 1911 

